A seven-year-old boy named Tariq is known as the “Child of the Corn” all over the internet. Tariq talked about how much he loves corn in an interview on a web series called “Recreational Therapy.” The show’s creator told Insider how Tariq’s interview unexpectedly exceeded his expectations. Loading Something is loading.
A seven-year-old boy named Tariq became one of the most talked about kids on the internet when he launched into an impassioned discussion about why he loves corn.
In the video, posted on August 4 by an Instagram-based children’s talk show called “Recess Therapy,” Tariq described the corn as a “big bumpy lump” and said, “I can’t imagine anything more beautiful,” before smiling and inviting viewers to “have a fantastic day”.
The internet quickly fell for Tariq’s enthusiasm and witty comments about the vegetable, causing the video to go viral overnight on Instagram, where it currently has 27 million views on the “Recess Therapy” page.
A musicalized version of the audio then blew up on TikTok, where it has been used in more than 900,000 videos.
A post shared by Recess Therapy (@recess_therapy)
Tariq is now a full-fledged internet megastar, hosting interviews with US talk shows and news organizations, while also having the opportunity to meet and film with America’s biggest YouTuber, MrBeast. His family also set him up a temporary account on Cameo, a platform where celebrities record personalized messages for their followers for a fee, with prices starting at $145, according to Bloomberg.
To top it off, Tariq was honored with the title of “Corn-bassador” in the state of South Dakota.
Julian Shapiro-Barnum, the host of “Recess Therapy,” told Insider that he discovered Tariq when he was filming interviews in Brooklyn, New York, for his show, which revolves around asking young children for their opinions on various topics. .
He had no idea his innocuous questions would propel Tariq to such an explosive level of fame.
The ‘Corn Kid’ went viral at the least expected moment by the creator of the video
Shapiro-Barnum told Insider that she usually chooses a specific theme for each of her “Recess Therapy” episodes, such as asking children to explain complex concepts like love. She said that her film crew ran into Tariq one summer day just before he was about to leave for a week’s vacation.
“We were really exhausted because it was so hot. And we didn’t know if we had it in ourselves to do a whole episode that day, so we thought, ‘What if we just like to play really loose and just ask kids what their favorite things are? ?'”
While looking for children to interview, he saw Tariq, who was eating corn at the time, so he asked the seven-year-old for his opinion on the vegetable.
According to Shapiro-Barnum, Tariq was very forthcoming with his responses from the start. “It just launched into this whole video that we now know and love. It really came out of nowhere,” he said.
Tariq gave a lengthy explanation of how the corn “tasted good” and when he “tried it with butter, everything changed.” Shapiro-Barnum asked Tariq what else he liked, at which point Tariq listed a few games he enjoyed, before hurrying back to talk again about his love of corn. “It’s corn!” he yelled, before the video cut to a clip of him biting into the vegetable.
After filming the interview, Shapiro-Barnum, who said he was amused by Tariq’s answers and thought they would be good material for his show, flew to Madrid for vacation, where he had no phone service. When she found WiFi in a coffee shop, she posted Tariq’s interview on her show’s social media accounts.
The next time he found an internet connection a few days later, he said his phone “exploded” with messages and notifications when the video went viral on Instagram. She spent the rest of her trip wondering if she should come home early.
“It was a fun mix of me really trying to take some time off and really engrossed in what was going on with the video. I care so much about how the videos are going that it’s impossible for me to completely tune out of them, especially when they circulate as much as they do.” this one,” he told Insider.
Going viral has allowed both ‘Recess Therapy’ and Tariq to have a moment in the spotlight
Tariq’s interview blew up on TikTok when a band called The Gregory Brothers, who specialize in comedy music, turned sound bites from the clip into a full-length song, which they posted to YouTube and TikTok in late August.
TikTok users began creating comedic corncob dances and videos as the song became more popular. Soon, brands were using sound to promote their own products, captioning their videos, “For me, I really like corn” (a phrase said by Tariq in the interview) and replacing the word “corn” with the name of the product. of the company. Celebrities like Kevin Bacon and Ashley Tisdale also made use of the audio by singing the song on their accounts.
Shapiro-Barnum has had several brushes with virality in the past, such as when her interview with a girl gushing about an upcoming “My Little Pony” movie became a viral TikTok soundtrack in April, or when a boy told him about his love for komodo dragons went viral on Twitter and TikTok.
The Gregory brothers gave “Recess Therapy” full credit under their now-viral remix of the Tariq interview, but that hasn’t always been the case.
“I think it’s very easy for original content to get lost in the shuffle and for something to become a trend while divorcing where it originally came from,” he told Insider.
Overall, Shapiro-Barnum is happy that her interview was able to give Tariq new exposure opportunities, telling Insider that she feels like a “proud mom” who helped facilitate his big break.
“It gives me such joy that this interview is taking off in such a big way,” he said, adding, “Tariq’s family have also handled it all very gracefully. They have really given him a good few weeks of unadulterated freedom.” exploring all the joys and benefits of going viral.”
For more stories like this, check out Insider’s digital culture team coverage here.
Source: www.insider.com